Rita de Brún meets Nicci Taylor, a sooner-to-be 50 Liverpudlian who sold up everything and bought a camper van before embarking on a quest to find her soulmate.

Many moons ago the late Beatle John Lennon was being quizzed by the media when one bright spark asked him if Ringo [Starr, the band’s drummer] was the best drummer in the world.

The first captain to lift the fabled trophy at the newly opened Aviva Stadium in 2010, Danny Ventre knows there is nothing better than that winning feeling.

Model Abbey Clancy has tonight won the 11th series of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing.

Tony Bellew has lost his bid to take the WBC light-heavyweight title from Canada’s Adonis Stevenson in Quebec City.

Former Coronation Street star Natalie Gumede set the standard in tonight’s Strictly Come Dancing.

The spirit of John Lennon was alive and well on Cork City’s northside yesterday when a mobile sound studio was laid on for some talented local musicians.

Jonathan deBurca Butler has a workday week stroll through the short and silly, or long and boring lives of a handful of stars.

Rylan Clark is the latest hopeful to be given their marching on orders from the X Factor.

MK1 are "shocked" Christopher Maloney got through on 'X Factor' this week.

When Wayne Rooney arrived late at the 2006 World Cup in Germany he famously stretched his arms out wide and announced himself to the assembled England squad by saying: “The big man is back.”

DAVID HIGGINS suffered a huge reverse in his bid to win back his tour card when he crashed to a four over 74 in the third round of the European Tour Qualifying School finals at PGA Catalunya Resort.

Girl group Little Mix made 'X Factor' history tonight by becoming the first group to win the title.

The final three contestants go into this year’s 'X Factor' final with the result too close to call.

Rory McIlroy shares the lead at the halfway stage of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland – the first qualifying event for next year’s Ryder Cup.

BOXING. Major championships. Gold medals.

A FRIEND of mine once told me that he’d briefly toyed with the idea of joining Friends Of the Earth but then decided against it. “You know me,” he explained, “I’d want to be more than just friends.”

The cycling team which bears the name of Irish cycling legend Seán Kelly has outlined an ambitious list of targets for the coming season and revealed that they are upping a gear in a bid to land success.

AN IMPORTANT part of the work of a responsible, professional journalist such as myself is research. Or, as we like to call it in the trade: Talking To A Local Taxi Driver On The Day Of The Game.

Irish snooker star Ken Doherty has failed to qualify for the China Open after an embarrassing defeat against a rookie opponent today.

Shaun Murphy is out of the Royal London Watches Grand Prix but veteran John Parrott is through to the last 16.

Jubilant Oliver Wilson joined Justin Rose and Soren Hansen in clinching a Ryder Cup debut today – but only after being given the fright of his life.

Oliver Wilson played and talked like a Ryder Cup player in waiting today – but Nick Dougherty is poised for one last bid to catch him.

Ollie Wilson played and talked like a Ryder Cup player-in-waiting today – but Nick Dougherty is not ready to stop hunting him just yet.

Lee Westwood, spared the stress of fighting for a Ryder Cup place in this the final week of qualifying, was among the pacesetters at the start of the Johnnie Walker Championship at windy Gleneagles.

Rio Ferdinand has backed his Manchester United and England team-mate Wayne Rooney to step out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow and terrorise defences across the continent this season.

THAT infamous night in November, when Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland collided in a crucial World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park in 1993, stands out in the minds of many of us who were there as one of the most tension-filled and downright hostile sporting events we have ever attended.

Nick Dougherty had two reasons to smile after sinking a four-foot birdie at the final hole to regain a share of the lead at the Maybank Malaysian Open.

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has insisted he “cannot see” himself being talked out of his self-imposed international retirement.

Australian Peter O’Malley equalled the Carnoustie course record as he stormed into a share of the lead in the £2.5m (€3.6m) Alfred Dunhill Links championship, and then revealed how his guesthouse landlady helped keep his title bid on track.

PAUL JEWELL last night insisted he will not be taking over as manager of Manchester City.

England’s Nick Dougherty led the Italian Open by three shots with nine holes to play in Milan, but appeared to be nursing a neck strain as he tried for his second European Tour title.

Three days after sitting at home thinking there was no tournament for him this week England's Stuart Little led the Spanish Open in Madrid.

Hundreds of Big Brother fans seeking fame and fortune auditioned in Dublin today for the eighth series of the show.

Phillip Price came from nowhere to go into the weekend with a one-shot lead at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship after carding a seven-under-par 65 for a 10 under 134 overall.

Henrik Stenson surged up the leaderboard to joint second as the first round headed towards its conclusion at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship today.

Teenage star Michelle Wie was set to make her European Tour debut in Switzerland today, and playing partner Nick Dougherty could have done without all the attention.

The rise and rise of David Howell continued today when he stayed on course to become the first English winner of the BMW Championship at Wentworth since Nick Faldo in 1989.

An inspired David Howell somehow found a way to cope today with greens that Ernie Els described as “unplayable for me”.

After dreaming he had won the BMW Championship at Wentworth with a closing 63, England’s Nick Dougherty had to be content with a second round of 69 in reality today.

Luke Donald may have had to wait an extra hour to resume his bid for the BMW Championship at Wentworth today, but it was worth the wait.

Leeds 1 Preston 1

Leeds 0 Preston 0

Liverpool 1 Man City 0